The Rickman wrote: ↑May 7, 2019, 8:40 pm
Guys, you shouldn’t play an outside back on your bench in case you get an injury, that’s just bad team management all round
You only need them maybe 1 in 10 games, the other 9 games you have a completely useless slot on your bench
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100% agree.
Im not interested in covering for outside backs, specifically.
This squad, in particular, is built well to withstand injuries there... we can easily plug in Whitehead who's performed admirably at 5/8th, and slot Wighton in ANYWHERE. Havilii can play hooker, with Hodgson at halfback, the coverage in the forwards is second to none, Papa and Sia can both play edge or middle, the young guys can take more minutes.
If Stuart decides to go with him so be it, but it's insane to disadvantage yourself for 90% of the time in order to give yourself better options is an outside back goes down
I generally agree but Bateman and Tapine out means our coverage of that injury is at a low compared to recent times. There are only 2 genuine second rowers in the 17 (yes Papalii and Soliola can play there but we can’t afford that imo) meaning Whitehead can’t really be shifted.
I do think that Murchie on the bench for Simonsson negates that though. To me it just looks like Murchie did his dash with Stuart short term 2 weeks ago.
The Rickman wrote: ↑May 7, 2019, 8:40 pm
Guys, you shouldn’t play an outside back on your bench in case you get an injury, that’s just bad team management all round
You only need them maybe 1 in 10 games, the other 9 games you have a completely useless slot on your bench
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
100% agree.
Im not interested in covering for outside backs, specifically.
This squad, in particular, is built well to withstand injuries there... we can easily plug in Whitehead who's performed admirably at 5/8th, and slot Wighton in ANYWHERE. Havilii can play hooker, with Hodgson at halfback, the coverage in the forwards is second to none, Papa and Sia can both play edge or middle, the young guys can take more minutes.
If Stuart decides to go with him so be it, but it's insane to disadvantage yourself for 90% of the time in order to give yourself better options is an outside back goes down
Yeah ok. Interesting that absolutely none of that happened last time we lost a back. So yeah. Maybe a back on the bench then.
julian87 wrote: ↑May 7, 2019, 10:27 pm
I generally agree but Bateman and Tapine out means our coverage of that injury is at a low compared to recent times. There are only 2 genuine second rowers in the 17 (yes Papalii and Soliola can play there but we can’t afford that imo) meaning Whitehead can’t really be shifted.
I do think that Murchie on the bench for Simonsson negates that though. To me it just looks like Murchie did his dash with Stuart short term 2 weeks ago.
Yeah when we have two starting calibre second rowers out injured we need the remaining guys there. Due to the circumstances I'm not opposed to it. There are plenty of other teams who carry an outside back on their interchange too, it's not a completely foreign concept.
Dusty wrote: ↑May 7, 2019, 8:10 pm
If one of our outside backs needs ‘cover’ on the bench they shouldn’t be playing
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It's not bad policy necessarily to have a quick outside back on the bench. This bloke has just come from 7's and maybe Rick also thinks he has something as a dummy half runner vs tired defences or has shown so much in Mounties he needs a go.
I disagree. Give we often play bench forward for 10 mins, the impact on a game of a spare back or impact player might be significant. We all call Ricky pigheaded and used to hate his bench use. Trust him this year.
That’s fine if that’s Rick’s plan
But if he is there purely as a cover for Rapana I’d prefer Rapana didn’t play and a forward did
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2020: 1. Nicol-Klokstad 2. Cotric 3. Croker (c) 4 Leilua 5. Scott 6. Wighton 7. G. Williams 8. Papalii 9. Hodgson (c) 10. Sutton 11. J. Bateman 12. Whitehead 13. Tapine ----
14. Simmonson 15. Soliola 16. Guler 17. Horsburgh
The Rickman wrote: ↑May 7, 2019, 8:40 pm
Guys, you shouldn’t play an outside back on your bench in case you get an injury, that’s just bad team management all round
You only need them maybe 1 in 10 games, the other 9 games you have a completely useless slot on your bench
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
100% agree.
Im not interested in covering for outside backs, specifically.
This squad, in particular, is built well to withstand injuries there... we can easily plug in Whitehead who's performed admirably at 5/8th, and slot Wighton in ANYWHERE. Havilii can play hooker, with Hodgson at halfback, the coverage in the forwards is second to none, Papa and Sia can both play edge or middle, the young guys can take more minutes.
If Stuart decides to go with him so be it, but it's insane to disadvantage yourself for 90% of the time in order to give yourself better options is an outside back goes down
Yeah ok. Interesting that absolutely none of that happened last time we lost a back. So yeah. Maybe a back on the bench then.
No of that happened because we had John Bateman in the team who has played centre at an international level. Doesnt mean the options above weren't available to us, and when JB is healthy, that'll continue to be the #1 option... but we have coverage and im not picking a **** winger on the bench just in case we have an injury, not when we have options for halves and hookers, and a half who can play 1-5 in the backline.
Dusty wrote: ↑May 7, 2019, 8:10 pm
If one of our outside backs needs ‘cover’ on the bench they shouldn’t be playing
Sent from my iPhone using The Greenhouse
It's not bad policy necessarily to have a quick outside back on the bench. This bloke has just come from 7's and maybe Rick also thinks he has something as a dummy half runner vs tired defences or has shown so much in Mounties he needs a go.
I disagree. Give we often play bench forward for 10 mins, the impact on a game of a spare back or impact player might be significant. We all call Ricky pigheaded and used to hate his bench use. Trust him this year.
That’s fine if that’s Rick’s plan
But if he is there purely as a cover for Rapana I’d prefer Rapana didn’t play and a forward did
Sent from my iPhone using The Greenhouse
Yep, spot on.
If the club isnt sure Rapana can get through 80 minutes of footy, sit him until you are sure and just roll with Simmonsen as the starter. We're off to a nice start, this is a tough game down on troops, this is not the game to risk aggravating Rapana's ribs is an extra week off will help
The Rickman wrote: ↑May 7, 2019, 8:40 pm
Guys, you shouldn’t play an outside back on your bench in case you get an injury, that’s just bad team management all round
You only need them maybe 1 in 10 games, the other 9 games you have a completely useless slot on your bench
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
100% agree.
Im not interested in covering for outside backs, specifically.
This squad, in particular, is built well to withstand injuries there... we can easily plug in Whitehead who's performed admirably at 5/8th, and slot Wighton in ANYWHERE. Havilii can play hooker, with Hodgson at halfback, the coverage in the forwards is second to none, Papa and Sia can both play edge or middle, the young guys can take more minutes.
If Stuart decides to go with him so be it, but it's insane to disadvantage yourself for 90% of the time in order to give yourself better options is an outside back goes down
Yeah ok. Interesting that absolutely none of that happened last time we lost a back. So yeah. Maybe a back on the bench then.
No of that happened because we had John Bateman in the team who has played centre at an international level. Doesnt mean the options above weren't available to us, and when JB is healthy, that'll continue to be the #1 option... but we have coverage and im not picking a **** winger on the bench just in case we have an injury, not when we have options for halves and hookers, and a half who can play 1-5 in the backline.
Moving JB didn't work in that game and I'd rather not disrupt Wighton from the halves if we get an injury. Hodgo always gets found out laterally/speedwise when he defends in the halves. It could be Simmonsen drops off the bench or Rapana out of the team on game day. But I'm interested to see what Stuart does with him- I'm not going to call it silly before I've seen the plan for his use yet. Ricky watches the game closer than any of us remember, he just might have seen something...
I think the Bailey bench option comes down to a few different things
- The forward pack will relish the bigger minutes
Stick has had to rotate guys like Young and Horsburgh to Mounties to give them more minutes. They are his guys now so giving them bigger minutes this week helps for following weeks. Pretty much the whole forward pack can play large minutes.
It means Simmonsen won't have to be used at all unless there's injury.
- Stick rates Simmonsen more than Murchie.
Murchie didn't have a great game against Manly, I think it'll be piece of mind for Ricky that if any of the backline players receive injuries he can stick Simmonsen there rather than shuffle Whitehead to centre. Going from having back rowers like Bateman, Tapine and Whitehead to Young and Murchie is a drop, so he'd want Whitehead to stay in the back row for the game.
- A few backline players are carrying niggles
Rapana has sore ribs, Oldfield coming back from a groin injury + lacking match fitness, CNK with the sore knee.
The Rickman wrote: ↑May 7, 2019, 8:40 pm
Guys, you shouldn’t play an outside back on your bench in case you get an injury, that’s just bad team management all round
You only need them maybe 1 in 10 games, the other 9 games you have a completely useless slot on your bench
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
100% agree.
Im not interested in covering for outside backs, specifically.
This squad, in particular, is built well to withstand injuries there... we can easily plug in Whitehead who's performed admirably at 5/8th, and slot Wighton in ANYWHERE. Havilii can play hooker, with Hodgson at halfback, the coverage in the forwards is second to none, Papa and Sia can both play edge or middle, the young guys can take more minutes.
If Stuart decides to go with him so be it, but it's insane to disadvantage yourself for 90% of the time in order to give yourself better options is an outside back goes down
Yeah ok. Interesting that absolutely none of that happened last time we lost a back. So yeah. Maybe a back on the bench then.
No of that happened because we had John Bateman in the team who has played centre at an international level. Doesnt mean the options above weren't available to us, and when JB is healthy, that'll continue to be the #1 option... but we have coverage and im not picking a **** winger on the bench just in case we have an injury, not when we have options for halves and hookers, and a half who can play 1-5 in the backline.
Im fine with it in this instance where we have rapana returning from injury and cnk still being slightly hampered by that knee. We still have3 middles on the bench and thats sell and truly enough to cover the 240 middle minutes when we have papa playing 60 odd.
I even hope we are throwing enough traffic down our right edge that we use an interchange just to keep fresh outside backs on them.
Neither Mitchell nor Tupoe are good defenders under fatigue, Tupou is poor at turning to chase kicks through the line. Maybe the idea is to insert Simonsson late in the game and use the raw speed and agility he has from his sevens days in an attempt to work over those two. Probably not a bad tactic in my view.
The only way I can see that working is a straight swap for Rapana at some point. Simonsson won't be playing in the centres.
If Simonsson is there purely for injury cover I agree with Pigman. You just don't play the injured guys. Play them next week when they are fully fit.
zim wrote: ↑May 8, 2019, 12:02 pm
The only way I can see that working is a straight swap for Rapana at some point. Simonsson won't be playing in the centres.
If Simonsson is there purely for injury cover I agree with Pigman. You just don't play the injured guys. Play them next week when they are fully fit.
Its a little different when its more than one player with a slight injury. Youd have a fairly poor team if rapana, cnk and maybe oldfield also werent in there where my son on the bench allows you to play all three and have a just in case
Think you're all reading way too much in to the named side. How often is the named 17 the 17 that runs out? Simonsson is just there in case Rapa can't play, if Rapa's right to go Simonsson will drop off the bench for Murchie or Guler. They're all just numbers atm.
Hazza wrote: ↑May 8, 2019, 12:54 pm
Think you're all reading way too much in to the named side. How often is the named 17 the 17 that runs out? Simonsson is just there in case Rapa can't play, if Rapa's right to go Simonsson will drop off the bench for Murchie or Guler. They're all just numbers atm.
Pretty much every game this year bar injuries from memory.
Hazza wrote: ↑May 8, 2019, 12:54 pm
Think you're all reading way too much in to the named side. How often is the named 17 the 17 that runs out? Simonsson is just there in case Rapa can't play, if Rapa's right to go Simonsson will drop off the bench for Murchie or Guler. They're all just numbers atm.
VIDEO: Canberra Raiders centre Michael Oldfield ready for Roosters challenge
Raiders Centre Michael Oldfield is bracing himself for a tough test this weekend when they take on the Sydney Roosters at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
I wouldn't say I'm confident about this game. But surely there's more Raiders supporters in Brisbane/Queensland compared to the Roosters. We could have some pretty good support from the crowd at Suncorp, even from the neutral supporters, which could assist with us bringing home the win.
Hazza wrote: ↑May 8, 2019, 12:54 pm
Think you're all reading way too much in to the named side. How often is the named 17 the 17 that runs out? Simonsson is just there in case Rapa can't play, if Rapa's right to go Simonsson will drop off the bench for Murchie or Guler. They're all just numbers atm.
Pretty much every game this year bar injuries from memory.
The smokescreen has been the lack of smokescreens.
* The author assumes no responsibility for the topicality, correctness, completeness or quality of information provided.
zim wrote: ↑May 8, 2019, 12:02 pm
The only way I can see that working is a straight swap for Rapana at some point. Simonsson won't be playing in the centres.
If Simonsson is there purely for injury cover I agree with Pigman. You just don't play the injured guys. Play them next week when they are fully fit.
Its a little different when its more than one player with a slight injury. Youd have a fairly poor team if rapana, cnk and maybe oldfield also werent in there where my son on the bench allows you to play all three and have a just in case
You must be stoked mate. I thought you looked too young to have a 21 year old son. Taking a leaf out of Bateman's book.
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"His aggression in that forward pack helps the other guys stand up," former Kangaroos forward Luke Lewis said. "Those three guys being in those tackles and coming off second best it's purely because he's got that in him. That's what I believe has put Canberra up there. He's been one of the standouts.
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zim wrote: ↑May 8, 2019, 12:02 pm
The only way I can see that working is a straight swap for Rapana at some point. Simonsson won't be playing in the centres.
If Simonsson is there purely for injury cover I agree with Pigman. You just don't play the injured guys. Play them next week when they are fully fit.
Its a little different when its more than one player with a slight injury. Youd have a fairly poor team if rapana, cnk and maybe oldfield also werent in there where my son on the bench allows you to play all three and have a just in case
You must be stoked mate. I thought you looked too young to have a 21 year old son. Taking a leaf out of Bateman's book.
Yeah it was a bit of a shock to the wife and myself to find out i had a 21 year old but there it is for all to see.
Interesting to see that simonsson is paying less than Michael oldfield for FTS... was thinking of putting a cheeky $5er on him hoping the odds were through the roof with him being a bench player. Just in case Ricky throws him in the starting side.
Damn Sportsbet has the same thinking as me.
VIDEO: Canberra Raiders Hudson Young, Bailey Simonsson and Michael Oldfield speak about the Green Machine's clash with the Sydney Roosters in Magic Round
Hudson Young will make his starting debut for the Canberra Raiders on Sunday when he replaces the injured John Bateman in the second row. The side has received an added boost - with Jordan Rapana cleared to make his return from a rib injury.
VIDEO: Hear from Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart at the opening of a giant mural in Queanbeyan, created in his honour
There's a lot more to Ricky Stuart than simply football - his passion for serving the #Canberra community and improving the lives of others comes foremost.
What might also fly under the radar is the fact he hails from Queanbeyan - but now there's no mistaking his roots, with the CBD adorned by a mural of the great man, WIN News Canberra reports.
greeneyed wrote: ↑May 8, 2019, 5:00 pmSydney Roosters face trail of destruction left by Canberra Raiders Elliott Whitehead
They've been likened to a Ferrari, but the Sydney Roosters left edge could be driving into a smash-up derby. While all the talk has been around John Bateman, Elliott Whitehead has quietly turned into an NRL enforcer.
"His aggression in that forward pack helps the other guys stand up," former Kangaroos forward Luke Lewis said. "Those three guys being in those tackles and coming off second best it's purely because he's got that in him. That's what I believe has put Canberra up there. He's been one of the standouts.
Great article. Whitehead is a really special player who has done some amazing things this season and regularly produces plays at key times that very few others could do.
Doesn’t have the obvious flair of Bateman but he’s really important to our team, I reckon.
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Hazza wrote: ↑May 8, 2019, 12:54 pm
Think you're all reading way too much in to the named side. How often is the named 17 the 17 that runs out? Simonsson is just there in case Rapa can't play, if Rapa's right to go Simonsson will drop off the bench for Murchie or Guler. They're all just numbers atm.
Pretty much every game this year bar injuries from memory.
Lol that's exactly what I thought when I read that comment. Ricky has stuck solid with his 1-17 so far this season with the only changes being due to injury. As I was saying earlier in the thread, I expect us to be 1-17 again this week barring injury.
Mr. Snrub wrote: ↑May 8, 2019, 4:06 pm
I wouldn't say I'm confident about this game. But surely there's more Raiders supporters in Brisbane/Queensland compared to the Roosters. We could have some pretty good support from the crowd at Suncorp, even from the neutral supporters, which could assist with us bringing home the win.
My experience in QLD when I lived on the Gold Coast going to the pub to catch Raiders games was that there were generally more Raiders fans there watching the game if we were playing a Sydney team. There might be more younger kids in to the Roosters up in QLD due to their recent premierships but I'd think we still have more fans in the area.